Shredded paper briquettes smoke & smell

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Aquarian72
Aquarian72 Posts: 9 Forumite
in LPG, heating oil, solid & other fuels
Hi all,

I’ve made some shredded paper briquettes for my chimnea thing, I cut out all the plastic windows from envelopes, I soaked the shredded paper, I used a briquette maker, I dried them in my airing cupboard for 3 weeks (I haven’t had the heating on so they didn’t dry as quickly) and they are absolutely perfect, I could probably knock someone out they are that solid.

When it came to burning one the other night black smoke would occasionally puff out and a heavy smoke smell was consistent, I would imagine it’s how a room would smell after being on fire. I ended up putting the chimnea out just in case my neighbours complained, which isn’t the result I was aiming for!

I didn’t use newspaper, I just shred letters with sensitive info, envelopes with my address on, there are things that have colour such as those small Waitrose coupon booklets or the Tesco coupon envelopes. Otherwise everything is pretty much bland.

I tried looking online for help but I just find ‘how to make briquettes’ there’s nothing on black smoke and a smell. Can anyone on here help pls?

Best wishes,

Lisa
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  • colinf70
    colinf70 Posts: 12 Forumite
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    Have a look on YouTube plenty of videos on there
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,631 Forumite
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    Three weeks in the airing cupboard - They are probably still damp in the middle.

    I made a few briquettes from paper & wood chips/sawdust and left them in a baking hot shed for the summer. Just about dry after ~three months.
    Her courage will change the world.

    Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,037 Forumite
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    At best they can be used sparingly in a glowing hot fire.
  • owen_money
    owen_money Posts: 764 Forumite
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    Is it worth the effort to make them? From what I understand they either go mouldy or produce a lot of smoke and don't burn very well. Isnt easier to just buy a bag of logs?
    One man's folly is another man's wife. Helen Roland (1876 - 1950)
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,609 Forumite
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    owen_money wrote: »
    Is it worth the effort to make them? From what I understand they either go mouldy or produce a lot of smoke and don't burn very well. Isnt easier to just buy a bag of logs?

    but not as much fun
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • owen_money
    owen_money Posts: 764 Forumite
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    matelodave wrote: »
    but not as much fun

    Depends on your definition of fun...............................
    One man's folly is another man's wife. Helen Roland (1876 - 1950)
  • Gloomendoom
    Gloomendoom Posts: 16,550 Forumite
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    You are probably best making them out of the lowest quality paper you can find. The smoother the paper, the more filler has been added to it during manufacture. The filler is basically talcum powder that does not burn.
  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 7,335 Forumite
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    owen_money wrote: »
    Is it worth the effort to make them? From what I understand they either go mouldy or produce a lot of smoke and don't burn very well. Isnt easier to just buy a bag of logs?


    But if you buy a bag of logs, you can almost guarantee that they will be:
    • Unseasoned and almost impossible to burn, or
    • Damp all the way through and almost impossible to burn, or
    • Both of the above.
    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
  • FreeBear
    FreeBear Posts: 14,631 Forumite
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    owen_money wrote: »
    Is it worth the effort to make them? From what I understand they either go mouldy

    If they are going moldy, they haven't been dried properly. When making briquettes from paper, they need to be put somewhere with a good circulation of air and somewhere warm. Make them during the summer, spread them out on open racking in a well ventilated shed, and they should be dry come the winter.
    Her courage will change the world.

    Treasure the moments that you have. Savour them for as long as you can for they will never come back again.
  • owen_money
    owen_money Posts: 764 Forumite
    edited 22 October 2018 at 11:56AM
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    Ectophile wrote: »
    But if you buy a bag of logs, you can almost guarantee that they will be:
    • Unseasoned and almost impossible to burn, or
    • Damp all the way through and almost impossible to burn, or
    • Both of the above.

    They do kiln dried logs in Tesco now!!! :'0 please buy those


    Make sure the logs either kilned dried or season them yourself. Its idiots who buy bag of logs from garages are the one who have issues with poor burning, tar build up in chimneys, and smoking fires.

    If you've had good success making paper bricks carry on if they are just for a chimnea in the garden you dont need many.

    I'm used to a bigger scale, a few paper logs would be of no use to me
    One man's folly is another man's wife. Helen Roland (1876 - 1950)
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